An Alternate Approach to Talents

[hcobb]

Why make XPs the only cost for advanced abilities?

"My character is a self made man who was born in a log cabin he built himself so doesn't need to find any so-called masters to teach him advanced talents and spells."

[David Bofinger]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

The character's 'tier' is a direct result of their attribute total which is core to player choice.

Can you explain that statement? In my experience, attribute total is not usually something players can choose.

[David Bofinger]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Why make XPs the only cost for advanced abilities?

"My character is a self made man who was born in a log cabin he built himself so doesn't need to find any so-called masters to teach him advanced talents and spells."

Why have two costs, when we can have one? It increases complexity, and it reduces player choice. There might be a good reason to do it but the onus should be on the person proposing the extra cost.

[hcobb]

One problem is that the learning rules were left out of legacy, other than a few monitions WRT guilds. There is no trained by a master.

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

Can you explain that statement? In my experience, attribute total is not usually something players can choose.

Each attribute they choose to increase via XP raises their overall total so it is absolutely something the players control.

In my game, once the character hits 37 points they are in the Veteran tier (bearing in mind that the progression system I use won't cap out at 40 points) which now grants them access to many of the advanced talents regardless of their actual IQ score.

[David Bofinger]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Each attribute they choose to increase via XP raises their overall total so it is absolutely something the players control.

Unless there's something else they're likely to spend lots of XP on, or they can somehow choose how many XP they get, I find that an odd way to look at it. It's a bit like telling someone they can choose how large their bank balance is by deciding how many dollars they deposit into it. In practice, in RAW at least, people get XP and when they have enough they buy an attribute and their total goes up. They don't really choose to increase their attribute total because there's no sensible alternative to doing so.

[Shostak]

Just track total XP earned and available XP, and then use the former instead of attribute totals.

[TippetsTX]

In Legacy, by RAW, there are 4 or 5 different things that a player can spend XP on. In my game, there are 3... attributes, talents/spells, and powers each with distinct benefits. Also, in a very real way, players do choose how many XP their characters gain by their in-game behavior. An aggressive player (assuming his character survives) will generally earn more XP than a passive one. The GM plays a critical role in defining the overall pace that XP gets doled out of course, but the player is the one who chooses their character's actions as well as how to use the XP they earn for those actions.

The player should always have ultimate control over how their characters will progress.

[David Bofinger]

Originally Posted by hcobb

One problem is that the learning rules were left out of legacy, other than a few monitions WRT guilds. There is no trained by a master.

I don't know what "trained by a master" rules would look like, or why they are desirable.

[Axly Suregrip]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

I don't know what "trained by a master" rules would look like, or why they are desirable.

In the old ITL once you had enough points to increase your IQ, thus unlock a new talent/spell, you then had to determine how you are going to learn it. From a book or trained by a master, etc. This means there was always a lag between getting the IQ point to then getting the spell/talent.

Keep in mind in the old ITL spells and talents were earned by increasing IQ, not by XP directly.

Personally, I hated it. I would just assume my character is studying the next spell/talent all along and when the IQ point is earned, that is when he finally has it down.

It adds a bit more reality into the RPG. Playing in adventures is why I play RPGs. Not because I want to watch my character go to school or hold down jobs or figure out his taxes. This feature of the old ITL I found as a distraction from the gaming and glad to see it go.

And since we are in the House Rules section, I should add, there is nothing stopping any GM from requiring a training period after the XP is cashed in for a new spell/talent.